Lost Voice: True Love
by Nezkov Sou
Summary: Makino once told him about the Lost Voice curse. "When you try to confess to your true love, you will lose your voice." "How do you undo the curse then?" Luffy asked. "You can't." Makino ruffled Luffy's hair. "If the love is mutual, the curse will not happen. If it isn't, you lose your voice and your true love. Forever."


**Lost Voice: True Love**

One Piece © Eiichiro Oda

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><p>Makino once told him about the Lost Voice curse.<p>

"When you try to confess to your true love, you will lose your voice."

"How do you undo the curse then?" Luffy asked.

"You can't." Makino ruffled Luffy's hair. "If the love is mutual, the curse will not happen. If it isn't, you lose your voice and your true love. Forever."

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><p>The spark first appeared when Luffy made eye contact with the Pirate Hunter; a small glimmer of light inside his chest that meant nothing to him. Their adventure was more important and their dreams blinded his eyes. After all, Luffy had held his dream since he was a kid and a tiny sensation of curiosity wouldn't divert him.<p>

As their crew grew bigger and their ship sailed several seas, Luffy couldn't help but chanced discreet glances at his First Mate, hoping to understand something more about that spark that had settled into a warm flame in his stomach. The feeling reminded him of Ace, or Sabo, or even his family and friends back in Windmill Village, but something was different. The flame was stronger, warmer, and disgusting. Sometimes he wanted to rip his stomach out just to see what the flame was. Sometimes he wanted to clench his chest that constricted whenever the flame burned. The flame was comforting but at the same time, disorienting.

Finally, unable to bear the confusion any longer, Luffy approached Robin.

"I'm sorry, captain. I'm not sure what you meant." Robin pressed a palm on the side of her cheek. "This is concerning, though."

"But you're the smartest, aren't you?" Luffy frowned. He watched Robin thinking in silence for a moment and from the corner of his eyes, Chopper exited the kitchen. "Oi, Chopper!" Luffy bounded over to the doctor, the frown still on his eyebrows, "I need to ask you something."

"What is-" Chopper squeaked when he was grabbed and rushed into the kitchen again. Sanji looked up from the sink.

Luffy set them down on the table and explained the flame in his stomach. "Do you think I'm sick?"

"I've never heard of any symptoms like that before," Chopper muttered to himself, "When did this first happen?"

"Ugh . . ." Luffy rubbed his head, "A couple of months ago, around when I first set sail."

"That's weird," Chopper reflected Luffy's worry.

Sanji chuckled and both of them glanced over. "Captain, you're a late bloomer, huh?"

"What's a late bloomer?" Luffy asked, "Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily," Sanji walked over to join them. "It means you're finally having a crush on someone. C'mon, who is it?"

"What's a crush? Is that a new disease?" Chopper piped up.

Sanji shook his head in bewilderment, "Wow, you guys. Do you understand the concept of love?"

For several hours later, Luffy learned everything he hadn't known about this strange feeling called love and the more he listened to Sanji, the warmer the flame burned inside him. The heat travelled downwards and then his face flushed when Sanji talked about marriage and sex. This new knowledge left him more confused than before.

Sitting in the crow nest, he watched the dark seas as they sailed through the foggy Florian Triangle, en route to Thriller Bark where the skeleton musician said he was going. Luffy glanced at the deck where most of his crews were preparing to land and his eyes immediately darted to his First Mate. The flame danced again and Luffy slapped his cheeks.

"There's an adventure waiting ahead," Luffy mumbled to himself. He jumped down and joined his crew, once again, pushing aside all thoughts about the flame. It didn't matter.

But it did matter, when he opened his eyes and saw his First Mate all bloodied and near the brinks of death. Chopper forbade anyone from disturbing him while he dealt with the injuries and Luffy had to bite his lips to stop himself from jumping on them. The flame roared inside him, churning his insides and Luffy had to sneak away to where no one would see him and threw up. He had forgotten this repulsive sensation that he felt when Mihawk fought them at Baratie's, and their narrow escape of the candle wax hell in the ancient island. He remembered the spark igniting again when he saw his First Mate's deep red blood. Tears streaked his face and all he could think of was the bloodied face of his First Mate.

The party that followed eased his mind and once again, he tossed the flame into his subconscious.

And once again, the flame scorched him from the inside, reminding him of its existence and Luffy could only scream his First Mate's name as one by one, all of his crew disappeared before his eyes. "Where is he?!" Luffy choked between tears.

The island left only dust in his wake and the Warlord stood over him.

"I'm so weak! What Pirate King? I can't even protect anyone of my crew!"

He wanted to throw up, wanted to rip his guts out, wanted to kill himself, but as he glared at the Warlord through tears, he saw the palm and he was shot away. The three nights he spent in the air, he couldn't erase the last desperate images of his crew and every time he remembered the strong back of his First Mate, Luffy cried himself to sleep.

The events of Marineford gave him no time to think back on the burning flame inside him. He ran, he fought, he bled. He hit his grandfather, rescued his brother, and held the broken body of Portgas D. Ace.

"Thank you for loving me," was Ace's final words. And then he never heard the voice again.

Something inside Luffy died; perhaps a part of the flame because it now burned cold, piercing his chest in icicles, suffocating his lungs, and soothed the loud beating of his heart. He cried like never before, wishing to himself that it was him who was hit by the marine.

But he had his crew waiting for him.

And his First Mate was somewhere else, lost and searching for him.

And Luffy remembered the crisp green hair, the sharp dark eyes, the ripples of muscles when he moved. His rough voice calling his name, shouting Land-Ho, and yelling whenever Luffy did something stupid. His large hand grabbing Luffy's arm, rescuing him from the bottom of the ocean, pulling them close together as they broke the water surface.

His heart grew warm.

Luffy sailed back to the ruins of Marineford and made the promise to his crew and two years later as he sailed towards Sabaody Archipelago, his heart thumped against his chest, sending tingles up his spine, and when he saw the scarred eye of his First Mate, his heart slammed against his ribcage. No matter what separated them, they would be together again. Forever and ever.

During their first descend underwater, Sanji caught up with Luffy and asked if he had figured out his silly little crush.

"I dunno? Am I supposes to do anything with it besides _feeling _it?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.

Sanji slapped his forehead, "You're not gonna confess?"

"Confess?" Luffy frowned for a second and then his face turned a shade of red, "No way! I'm not, I don't think that it's _love_. I mean, I love you guys. And it's . . ." Luffy glanced away, "Probably not mutual."

Sanji stared at him for a while before lighting a cigarette, "Are you dumb or what? It doesn't hurt to tell someone you love how you feel. Are you not gonna tell him? At all? If you don't do it now, you may lose the chance."

Luffy shook his head, "I can't. I'm the captain, Sanji. I can't play favoritism."

"It's not favoritism if you don't make it."

"And it's probably not true love," Luffy snapped.

"Do you actually believe in that myth?" Sanji tapped his cigarette, "Well, if it's not that _true love_, doesn't hurt for you to confess and get all romantic and shit."

Luffy stood up, "It's fine the way things are right now. We'll be fine. I'm fine this way." As he walked out of the kitchen, he pretended not to hear Sanji's mutter of 'liar'.

Dressrosa ended in a whole chaos and Luffy was glad it was over. Throughout the fight, he couldn't rid Sanji's words from his mind and as he sat on the dirt ground in exhaustion, he watched the sky, felt the thumping of his heart, and was glad that his First Mate wasn't half dead this time. Sanji was right. Luffy wasn't fine. He remembered the blood on his hands and the panicked thought of never telling his brother how much he loved him. Would it be the same? Would it be too late, again?

Back in the ship, Luffy dragged his First Mate to the male sleeping quarter and didn't let go of their hands.

"Captain, what's up?"

Luffy made eye contact. His heart thumped louder, harder, hotter, and the flame ignited, warming his chest, travelled down to his stomach, and his knees began to shake. "Zoro, I need to tell you something important." Luffy began, licking his dry lips and when he spilled the words out, he closed his eyes, waiting for the strike and rejection but all he heard was-

"Luffy? What's wrong?"

He opened his eyes to meet Zoro's confused face and as he parted his lips to repeat himself despite the embarrassment churning inside, no words slipped out. Luffy cleared his throat and tried again but only silence came out.

"Oi, Luffy. Are you playing around?" Zoro tilted his head in concern.

Luffy shook his head, grasping onto Zoro's sleeves. He opened his mouth and yelled in his mind. His heart thumped harder and the heat had turned cold, prickling his chest. Zoro had rushed out calling for Chopper and Luffy fell onto his knees. He tasted his tongue, felt his teeth, and when Chopper came in, Luffy glanced up at Zoro and let the fear show in his eyes.

"Did you get shot by something at Dressrosa?" Zoro knelt down, "Was it that flamingo bastard? I knew I should have sliced him up. Hey, c'mon, look at me. Don't worry, everything's going to be alright."

Luffy kept his eyes on Zoro, biting his bottom lips, relishing in the bitter taste of lost, and knew that Zoro was wrong.


End file.
